Status Symbols: Grado GS1000i

Status Symbols are devices that transcend their specs and features, and become something beautiful and luxurious in their own right. They’re things that live on after the megapixel and megahertz wars move past them, beacons of timeless design and innovation.

If you thought phone operating systems were polarizing, ask an audiophile about Grado sometime. Grado is the handcrafted, Brooklyn-made headphone holdout, up against competitors who make cans styled more like robots than sensitive listening devices. Grado’s GS1000i pair is the company’s ultimate art-not-science blend of style, performance, and comfort, with lightweight, oversized mahogany earpieces that would make your dad jealous — and sound that anyone with a discerning eardrum would kill for, if they haven’t already dropped a grand on some sleek Sennheisers. The “open” design that Grado swears by, which leaks sound in and out in exchange for clarity, means you won’t be wearing these on the subway or even in the office. These are sprawled-on-the-shag-carpet-in-the-basement sort of listeners. Treat them well.

Price: $995